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Berlin pressured by prospect of New England Referendum
Supporters of the New England Independece campaign during a 2033 rally
New England, German Federation: With only months to go until the federal election this year, calls from the overseas province of New England for an independence referendum has been heard ever louder, especially by forces like the nonpartisan organization #FreeNewEngland and the English Language institute. New England has long beena prominent force of separatism in North America, despite the ever shrinking number of native English speakers (at the present moment, only 37% say it is their native language) and the opposing calls for larger regional autonomy instead of independence. As polls have shown that between 32 to 47% of the inhabitants of New England support independence or autonomy, one of the leading questions of the day is if any of the major parties will take up the New England cause. Most prominently, the leader of the Völkish Arbeiterpartei Bernhardt Johanesson has made some gestures that indicate his support, among the most prominent of which was his tour of the province in April earlier this year. Other parties like the Greens and Social Democrats are presumed to follow suit in the case of a coalition government but have so far remained silent on the issue.
Why now?:
New England has never been as violently separatistic as the movement in Ireland but it has long retained a unique cultural idetity of its own. With the previous elections upset, many in the independence movement hope to galvanize non-voters or supporters of traditional parties that have now come under fire during the election campaign. In addition, there has been a concerted effort in separatist circles to revive regional languages in the face of the further expansion of Volkssprache, often hoping to achieve similar status as the Scandinavian languages in Europe which would mean an increase in funds and greater prominence in school education. Currently, English is only available as courses on university level and has no alloted time in basic education.
Against independence:
Many fear that an independent New England would lack a sufficient economy to survive as an independent nation and would not border any other nation than the German Federation, giving it few options in terms of trade. There is also the fear that a referendum would only serve to legitimize the violent separatis movement in Ireland and lead to an increased level of violence. Some also see English as relatively useless in todays Volkssprach-dominated world and feel a stronger German than New Englander indentity.